What can you do at 100 Farenheit (38 Celsius) in Davis?

What can you do if the outside temperature is 100 degree? Although it is not humid in inland California, the feel of oven heat with ultraviolet light coming down straight on you is not easy to bear. Swimming is my cure in this hot weather. When I visited Davis over the weekend, I swam at the Arroyo Pool for about an hour, 20 laps totaling 1000 yards. I am slow, but I enjoy the workout. Single entry admission for this facility is $3.50.There is a summer pass, which is whole lot cheaper if you come often. There is a water slide and a huge wading pool. It is a favorite for families. See the two shots of the pool on the left.


















I paid special attention to the temperature difference between Davis (Sacramento Valley) and Campbell (Silicon Valley). That confirms what I heard about the 10-degree difference in Fahrenheit between the inland and south San Jose.

Near my work place at Menlo Park, I often stopped by the Mountain View Eagle Park swimming pool after work for a good swim. The single entry fee is $4.25 for non-resident. I had a 20-use pass I bought in 2005 and they are still honoring that pass. I was quite impressed and happy about that.














Other times, I swam at the Campbell Community Center swimming pool near my home. This one is expensive. The single entry fee is $7.00, and with the 20-use pass, each time averages out to $4.00. I wrote about Beijing swimming experiences and obserevations before. I have a couple of shots to capture the facilities including the locker room and shower. This is quite a paradise to have swimming as a workout option in the US.

English with an American Corporate Accent - 016

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* It looks like the meetings will be as regular as clockwork, so just show up at 11am. [It looks like the meetings will be quite regular, so just show up at 11am.]
* I added Steve and Paul to round out the answers. [I added Steve and Paul to help to provide more for the answers.]
* That procedure works for me. I am a happy camper now. [That procedure works for me. I am a happy person now.]
* We have to brief our manager on this. He likes to have that information in his back pocket. [We have to brief our manager on this. He likes to have that information ready at any time.]
* When I heard that that test failed, I knew that the release date for this project is hosed for sure. [When I heard that that test failed, I knew that we would miss that release date for this project for sure.]
* George, that is a really good suggestion. Let me sleep on it and get back to you. [George, that is a really good suggestion. Let me think about it and get back to you.]
* Joe said, "That 6 am meeting ruined my whole Thursday." Susan answered, "Amen to that." [Joe said, "That 6 am meeting ruined my whole Thursday." Susan answered, "I agree."]
* The jury is still out on whether we'll select that product. [We still don't have any conclusion yet on whether we'll select that product.]
* The tests are all good modulo that configuration bug. [The tests are all good except for that configuration problem.]
* A customer who is not tech savvy could ask that question. [A customer who is not too technical could ask that question.]
* We did not make any headway in that issue. [We did not have any progress on that issue.]
* Susan, this is just FYI. [Susan, this is just for your information.]

Technology, Reverence, and Justice

Technology, Reverence, and Justice. What do they have in common? The combination had no meaning for me until recently.

I don't watch TV very often. Instead, I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming. Most of the TV news and programs are too superficial for me. Casual entertainment from TV programs is OK. But, gluing oneself to the TV and believing whatever it conveys is detrimental to our intellect and to our judgment. We need to be able to read more and to think more. I find it depressing that TV, and media in general, is shaping our value systems and moral guidelines. We are easily misguided by the media. And the noise of media have drowned our senses and reduced our abilities to act properly. We can easily lose our peace and senses in this fast-paced world of constant media bombardments.

I do find some exceptions. I don't find that the latest breaking news is important. I can only watch CNN for 20 minutes, and after that, it becomes repetitive. For an in-depth look and no-hype news, I find that PBS's NewsHour is acceptable.

Since my return to the US in early April, I did watch some TV - mostly PBS programs, in Davis, California when I visited my mother. By the way, she is doing so well now that she "graduated" from the hospice program last week. We are all quite pleased with this news.

One evening, I happened to tune in to Bill Moyers Journal, a PBS program dedicated to public affairs. This used to be my all-time favorite program before I left for China. That program ended Friday, April 30, 2010, and I happened to be there to hear the news. Mr. Moyers is 75 now and it is unfair to ask him to continue on.

That was the evening I learned how technology, reverence and justice are related :-). It is so relevant to modern-day China, and I have to share this with my friends. For the last 100+ years, the Chinese government, and many individual Chinese, have believed that the serious lag in science and technology is the reason that China was repeatedly defeated by the imperial and colonial powers, and that is the reason that China has to play catch-up to be a world leader again.

I have always tried to find what other elements are essential to a successful and sustainable civilization. Technology is essential, but that is definitely an incomplete answer to me. In this episode of Bill Moyers Journal, the following excerpt from Barry Lopez filled in the missing pieces in my puzzle.

(quoting Barry Lopez)
I don't remember the philosopher, the Greek philosopher who told the story of Zeus and Prometheus. Which really stuck when I first heard it, is that Zeus said to Prometheus, "Okay, you stole fire. Great for you. Now your people have technology. Wonderful. But here's something you don't know. You lack two things. And if you don't take these two things that I will give you, this will be a failure. Technology, you know, fire, all your magic, it will fail completely. It will be your undoing. And the two things that you need to make it work are justice and reverence. And if you have these two things, you won't get in trouble with this third thing that you thought was the be all and the end all."
(end of quote)

Is this that simple? Reverence and justice are the missing pieces? History and Greek mythology can have such foresight? Justice is a serious problem in China and many other parts of the world. Inequity is prevalent and might eventually bring serious changes to the social and political systems. Reverence is profound respect, and it is definitely a virtue for individual and society as a whole. I remember that there are good examples of reverence teachings in the Chinese history. Right now, Chinese society has been pressured into modernization with materialistic goals. It is a society with impatience, disrespect, and hatred at times.

It is not easy to get to a harmonious and reverent society. We have to bring back justice and a deep sense of reverence to each other so that technology will be good for us.

English with an American Corporate Accent - 015

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* They have not called my boss yet, but they are definitely waiting in the wings. [They have not called my boss yet, but they are definitely ready at a moment's notice.]
* We plan to put that feature in this release, knock on wood. [We plan to put that feature in this release, if all goes well.]
* Alpha version code is ready now, but gated by the licensing agreement. [Alphas version code is ready now, but being held up by the licensing agreement.]
* That item is interesting, but contentious. [That item is interesting, but controversial.]
* I am on the hook to deliver that document for the project. [I am responsible for delivering that document for the project.]
* I have to cancel lunch because my daughter has pink eye. [I have to cancel our lunch appointment because my daughter has an eye infection.] [pink eye: eye inflammation (conjunctivitis) ]
* FYI, I am still "dead in the water" for regression testing until the hardware problem can be fixed. [For your information, I am still completely unable to perform regression testing until the hardware problem can be fixed.]
* We are working heads down to get that done first. [We are working with complete dedication to get that done first.]
* I think my Mac is acting up. I might have to reboot it very soon. [I think my Mac is not working right. I might have to reboot it very soon.]
* If we can get this whittled down to only two teams, that would be ideal. [If we can get this narrowed down to only two teams, that would be ideal.]
* I can kick the can forward since I see better now. [I can move this thing forward since I have more information now.]
* These are some of the take-aways I have from that meeting. [These are some of the lessons I learned from that meeting.]
* We need to know the cadence of the technology offering. [We need to know the beat and rhythm of the technology offering. ]
* We'll do an one-off agreement with them, the rest should be all based on boiler-plate agreements. [We'll do a special agreement with them, the rest should be all based on a generic template.]

Buying A Car in America - the Online Way

Michael will graduate from Trinity College May 23rd, which is next week, and will be home this summer before he starts graduate school at UC Irvine in the fall. We need a car soon. I need it to commute. We don't need it to haul the whole family around any more. We are in a different period of our family life. The result is a humble Honda Civic LX with automatic transmission. Its impressive 36 miles/gallon high way mileage is definitely key in choosing this car. Actually Joseph bought the same model two years ago. Our general impression is not bad so far.

We have been a Toyota and Honda family for a long time. We have been un-American since 1980. With the historical context of World War II, we have been un-Chinese as well. The reliability of these Japanese cars and their design for small-frame drivers like me in the early 80's made me a loyal customer to Toyota and Honda.

Toyota's unintended acceleration fiasco in 2010 affected this purchasing decision. The most disappointing aspect of this incident is the alleged management coverup. Our foundation of the trust and loyalty was seriously shaken. The so-called defect was actually statistically not a big issue to me.

We have never been a big fan of showroom shopping. We never liked the car salesmen/saleswomen and their pitches. We bought cars through online/Internet portals for the last 10 years. This time, we did more than just research and comparison shop online. We even closed the deal through emails by responding to one of the email quotes. The basic information and options are available directly from Honda as well as from Edmunds.com, an Internet portal. Jeanet spec'ed out the model, including features such as manual transmission and color, then the portal did the rest by sending out emails to nearby dealers for quotes. We liked Larry Hopkins Honda best as they responded quickly with a few models from its Internet manager. There were no phone calls like others who really wanted to "talk" and haggle with you in person. We were surprised to see the so-called "manufacturer's rebate" of $1000, and that made their deal super attractive. We could not find the manual transmission (stick shift) we liked, but automatic transmission would do since the price was right. Once Jeanet confirmed the deal from Davis (west of Sacramento), I called the manager to see the car since I was in the Bay Area. Actually I had a chance to drive the "exact" car from the overflow lot a few miles away back to the dealership. This was the test drive we needed, and that was all. The rest was paperwork. Like always, the finance department tried to sell us something. Years ago, they used to sell extra under-coating, an alarm system, an extended warranty, and so on. These days they like to be in the insurance business, e.g., in this case, $2100 for 8 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first, for a full warranty of all defects and repairs. Jeanet turned that down in no time over the phone :-) Here is the cost information.

Honda web site data for 2010 Civic LX model
Manufacturer's suggested retail price: manual transmission $17605.00 and automatic transmission $18405.00

For the car I got, the sticker has the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $18405.00
Destination and handling: $710.00
Total Vehicle Price: $19115.00

Final cost breakdown data for us
Internet manager's offer: base price $15966.00 (it is $3149 off sticker)
Document Preparation Fee: $55.00
Sales Tax: $1481.94
DMV Electronic Filing Fee: $29.00
Subtotal: $17531.94
Amount Paid to Public Officials: $278.75
a) License Fees: $183.00
b) Registration/Transfer/Titling Fees $87.00
c) California Tire Fees: $8.75
Grand Total (for my check): $17810.69

What about auto insurance? It sure took another bite out of the family budget. My Farmers insurance agent was quick to provide all necessary paperwork while I drove the new car around with a temporary sticker for the license plate. Here is the auto insurance coverage for the new car:
1) comprehensive coverage with $1000 deductible,
2) collision coverage with $1000 deductible,
3) liability, each person bodily injury $500,000, each occurrence bodily injury $500,000, each occurrence property damage $100,000,
4) uninsured motorist, each person bodily injury $500,000, each occurrence bodily injury $500,000,
the half-year insurance premium is $294.20. It is about $1.60 each day.

The cost for a similar car in China is slightly higher. The 2009 Civic LXi automatic transmission is about $20,200 (137,800 RMB). This one is actually "made in China" with a Japanese design. This is not an apple-to-apple comparison since the exact details of what the LXi model entails can be different from that of US LX model. There is no 2010 model on the Chinese market, which I attribute to cultural differences. The US market sells 2010 cars from September 2009 to about August 2010. It focuses on the year it gets sold and used, a forward-looking attitude with a spin of "newness". The Chinese consumers seem to focus on the year the car is manufactured, a realistic attitude with a spin of "truthfulness".

Buying a car in America is easy and efficient, and it is a good experience for me. When I get more money, I'll treat myself nice next time with a slightly more luxurious model :-)

English with an American Corporate Accent - 014

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* As we move to the new environment, we have to deal with shifting sands in our strategy. [As we move to the new environment, we have to deal with the fast-changing conditions in our strategy.]
* I don't want to spend extra energy for this one-off release. [I don't want to spend extra energy for this special one-of-a-kind release.]
* I don't want a bastardized thing for this product. [I don't want a low-quality rushed version of this product.]
* Let's not jump in and analyze this thing to the n'th degree. [Let's not rush in and study it in unnecessary levels of details.]
* I am drawing a blank on that guy's name. [I simply cannot remember that guy's name.]
* That is the main impetus to do this project. [That is the main reason to do this project.]
* It really depends on whether there is anyone who would rat hole with silly questions. [It really depends on whether there is anyone who would change the course of the meeting with irrelevant questions.]
* The release date becomes really murky now when that additional requirement is added. [The release date becomes really questionable now when that additional requirement is added.]
* You'll find the new manager a lot more draconian in dealing with project slippage. [You'll find the new manager a lot more strict in dealing with project slippage.]
* You have dependency on that project, but you did not call out explicitly for that. [You have dependency on that project, but you did not explicitly spell that out.]
* What I want to prevent is a management edict from above. [What I want to prevent is a management mandate from above.]
* I know that this page is an eye chart, my apology. [I know that this page is too hard to read, my apology.]

English with an American Corporate Accent - 013

This is another collection from recent meetings and trips. It works best if you can find a native English speaker with exposure to corporate America to elaborate on the finer points that I cannot cover well here.

* COMPA and COMPB are really neck and neck in the server market. [COMPA and COMPB are really close in competition in the server market.]
* Let me switch gears to a different topic. [Let me change to a different topic.]
* You can put back pressure to the device driver to get some resources back. [You can reverse the direction to get the device driver to return some resources.]
* We have to be careful not giving customers too many knobs to turn. [We have to be careful not to create too many ways to make adjustments.]
* At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would like to ask that question again. [At the risk of sounding like a broken record that plays the same thing over and over again, I would like to ask that question again.]
* We'll try to plan better to align better, not to leapfrog you by any chance. [We'll try to plan better to align better, not to get ahead of you.]
* They learned a great deal in the previous go-arounds. [They learned a great deal in the previous failed attempts.]
* Now the logjam of all the attempts I made broke loose and got processed through the system. [Now the logjam of all the attempts I created finally broke loose and got processed through the system.]
* My approach is to line them up and knock them down one by one. [My approach is to list them one by one and work on them one at a time.]
* We need a project plan that has clarity for the roles and for the deliverables. [We need a project plan that has clear definitions of the roles and deliverables.]
* We need to continue to flesh out the details of this project. [We need to continue to expand the details of the the project.]